How to Build a Chicken Coop for Laying Hens
If you keep hens for eggs in your backyard, it is important to create an environment that is conducive to egg laying. This means housing them in a chicken coop or hen house that not only meets basic needs such as protection from extreme weather conditions and a roosting place at night, but also provides optimized nesting conditions. Ready-made chicken coops are expensive, but you can cost-effectively build a chicken coop yourself.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 1.5 m-by-2 m wooden crate or box
- 4-inch wooden bar
- Measure tape
- 2 m wood board
- 15-inch wood board
- Nail
- Hammer
- Straw
Instructions
-
-
1
Remove the front panel of a 1.5 m by 2 m (5 foot by 7 foot) wooden crate or box. Secure the crate against the wall, two feet above the ground, to build a coop that will accommodate six laying hens.
-
2
Create a perch or a roost for each chicken by replacing the front panel of the wooden crate with a wooden bar of the same length, measuring four inches in width. This will provide each bird with 12 inches of perch space.
-
-
3
Fix the wooden bar for the perch four feet above the ground, as chickens prefer to roost at a higher level in the coop.
-
4
Create six nesting boxes below the perch and two feet above the ground. Use a measure tape to measure each nesting box size of 15-inch-by-15-inch in length and width. Place a 2 m wood board horizontally over the top of the nesting boxes. Separate each nesting box with a 15-inch wood board and secure it in place by hammering a nail at the top of the horizontal wood board. The size of this nesting box discourages laying hens from standing, which is a precursor to cannibalistic behavior like egg pecking and egg eating.
-
5
Line the base of the nesting box with straw to prevent the eggs from cracking and breaking.
-
6
Place the chicken coop in an area that has adequate sunlight, since laying hens require 12 hours of light to stimulate egg production.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Keep the nesting box clean by regularly replacing the straw lining.
Do not place food and water below the perch, as hens experience a high frequency in droppings while roosting.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Organic chickens image by evillager from Fotolia.com
